


Feathers of Frost

by WinterCosmicSkye



Category: Vinesauce (Video Blogging RPF)
Genre: Gen, I will add tags later, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-03
Updated: 2019-08-13
Packaged: 2019-11-09 02:20:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 10,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17993003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WinterCosmicSkye/pseuds/WinterCosmicSkye
Summary: Vlinny decides to leave Vineland Island and return to outer space, but after being shot down he becomes stranded on an icy planet. And he has gained a pair of angel wings?(I’ll write a better description later, I just want to get this on here TvT]





	1. Chapter 1

"FUCK!" I crashed yet again face first into the snow covered ground. I sat up and groaned, dusting off some of snow from my face. All day I had been trying and failing to take off into the sky with my new wings, but little progress was being made.  
"Uhg, come on," frustrated, I got up and prepared to take flight again. Lifting up my wings, I brought them down as hard as could, managing to launch myself maybe six or seven feet into the air. I tried to flap my wings again, but only managed to disorient myself, and suddenly the ground and sky had switched places. I yelped as I crash landed for the millionth time that day, this time onto my side. I rolled onto my stomach and just laid there for a moment, waiting for the pain to pass. My wings were still an unfamiliar weight on my back, and after trying to fly with them all day, had become very sore and tired. Having an extra pair of limbs was... weird. They weren't easy to get used to. It was like having two more arms. For the first few days I would even confuse them. I could move them individually pretty okay now, but...  
Tired, I tilted my head up towards the sky, where the icy planet's double moons were beginning to set. This planet was not only far away from its star, but it appears that the star had long since collapsed into a white dwarf, so it did not give off too much light. However, the double moons combined with the icy and snowy ground of the planet made it so you could still see well enough. The sky above was always filled with foreign constellations, completely different to those on earth.  
Disappointed with the progress I had made, I heaved myself back up into a sitting position, then stood up. Letting my tired wings drag behind me, I lazily began making my way back to my wrecked ship. A week or two ago (I think) I had clashed with the jahns and wound up on the losing end, my ship already having been in disrepair from not bothering to properly fix it before deciding to leave earth. The jahns weaponry easily ripped the rest of my ship apart, and me and my ship had been sent spiraling. I passed out before I had even seen where I would crash. It was pretty lucky for me that the planet I happened to hit was icy cold. But honestly? Would've been nice not to get shot down in the first place. Definitely wasn't a pleasant experience.  
But even more unpleasant is the feeling of wings ripping out of your back.  
I flinched with the all still too fresh memory. It happened about three days after I crashed. I still don't know how and why it happened. I have theories, but... I still wasn't sure.  
Maybe I'm rushing this, I thought to myself as I stumbled into my "camp". In the midst of the wreckage I had gathered my supplies: enough food to last me months, blankets, bedding, pillows, varying medicines, a water purifier, clothes, and some technology I managed to glean from the wreck. I practically collapsed onto my makeshift bed, then blindly took a bag of jerky from the food pile. I half heartedly gnawed on a piece while I looked up at the sky. Maybe after figuring things out here I could try making a star chart...  
The bag half finished, I put it off to the side, carefully drank some water (the water purifying bottle also slightly heated the water so it wouldn't freeze, so before having it I would need to let it cool), and brushed my teeth, after which I promptly fell back onto my bed. Laying on my stomach again, I folded my wings over me. Exhausted from trying to fly all day, I fell asleep soon after.  
And, as they always seem to do no matter how tired I am, nightmares slipped into my dreams.

(I’m doing this from mobile, and I don’t have a tab button, I’m sorry)


	2. The Nightmare

I heard carnival music coming from way below me, barely audible from the ferris wheel passenger car.  The car I was in hung suspended at the highest point, and the chilled autumn wind caused it to swing. Despite the music playing, everything was dark. I couldn't even see the ground, and I even leaned over the edge to try and get a better look. Nothing. When I tried to listen, I could distantly hear the ocean beyond the music. Was I on Vineland island? I looked around, but everything was hidden in darkness, the only thing visible was the car itself and some of the beams supporting it.

"Well this is... weird..." I finally said, and my voice seemed to echo as though I was in a cave, and yet it felt like I was in a wide open space.

"Vlinny?"  a voice directly across from me said, "is something wrong?"  Though I could've sworn the other seat of the passenger car had been empty, it was suddenly occupied by... her. Her beautiful dark eyes looked at me with concern, and in them I saw all lights of carnival reflected, despite them actually being no where in sight.

"What? No, no, nothing's wrong." I tried reassuring her as I scooted to the edge of my seat, and took her hooves in my hands. I already brought so much chaos into her life, I didn't want to worry her anymore.

She looked at me sadly. "Aw, Vlinny..." she switched sides and sat beside me, "you don't have to lie to me, you know that, besides," she smirked, "I know you too well, and I can tell when you are lying, so there's no point." She laughed a bit. I loved her laugh so much. She lightly elbowed me. "Now, come on now, out with it... please?" She looked up at me, worried. The wind caused the car to gently sway again as I looked to the side nervously, trying to find the words.

"I... well..."  what was bothering me? I couldn't remember-

Dheerse and I both yelped as the wind picked up suddenly, making the car swing violently. I turned around and held her close to me as the car swung. The carnival music picked up in speed as well, and was so loud it felt like my ears would bleed. I screamed from the pain. I felt the front of my shirt become wet as Dheerse cried into it. I have to get her out of here, I thought to myself, frantically looking for a way out. I have to keep her safe, I don't want to lose her-

I heard a snapping noise, and suddenly me, Dheerse, and the car began to fall down into void. We both screamed.

Dheerse held me as she yelled, "I love you so much! I don't want this to end!"

"Dheerse! I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" I slightly pulled away so I could look her in the eyes, "I-I love you too! I love y-" I felt myself be ripped from her arms and forced upward. Dheerse continued to fall, and looked up at me, reaching for me.

"Vlinny!" She screamed for me as she disappeared into the abyss below me.

"Dheerse! No!" I tried to reach down for her, but instead felt myself be violently flung up into the star filled sky.  I was sent spiraling, stars zipping by me until-

I screamed when I woke up, my face icy from crying in my sleep. Attempting to collect myself, I tried to slow my breathing, and held myself in a tight curled up ball. I sobbed.

"Why, why... why..."

After awhile, I picked my head up and looked around me. I was a few yards away from my bed, lying in the snow instead, meaning I must've sleep walked, at least a little bit. I groaned and buried my head in the snow.

"Maybe I should try just... never sleeping... ever again..." reluctantly, I sat myself up, flinching from the pain. Whether it was because of the falls from yesterday, or from sleeping on the ground for who knows how long, I couldn't tell. Honestly, it was probably both. I could still hear Dheerse's screams from the dream. I shook my head. Suddenly it became brighter, and I lifted my head to see that the double moons had begun to rise. I began to try and stand up, and almost collapsed from the soreness. I knew that I should maybe try and rest more, but instead I stood up again, and began making my way towards my supplies.

Sitting on my bed, I picked up a box of cereal, and shoveled some of the marshmallow and puffed grain into my mouth. Trying to forget the nightmare, I tried thinking about what I should do today.

I decided I should give the self taught flight lessons a break, so maybe instead I could... clean up the camp abit? Organize? I looked at the mess around me.

"Yeah... I'll try and do that..." I closed the box, and set it aside, then picked it back up. "I'll get all the cereal together first..."

***

The moons had traveled to the other half of the sky by the time I had finished. I actually had a lot of supplies, especially for just one person. So I had that going for me, at least. I even found some pain pills in the clutter, which would have been very nice to know earlier, but they were nice to have now, and now most of my soreness was gone. I stood up and carefully stretched my wings. I looked up at the sky. Everything was briefly still, silent... beautiful.

But that calm was quickly shattered by a blur of metal and light high up in the sky. I recognized what it was instantly, and though it disappeared over the horizon a moment later, I was frozen, staring at where it had vanished.

"Oh no, oh... oh no." I needed to move, I had to leave the camp behind. They'll look here first. I took a few steps back and nearly fell into the tidied up supplies. Looking at them, suddenly the amount I had became a bit of a problem, because there was no way he could move all of these supplies at once. I kneeled down and started to shove as many supplies as I could into a bag.

(I just realized the italicized text I typed on Wattpad didn’t carry over on either this chapter or the first, which really annoys me because I like to have Vlinny’s thoughts be in italic, but I’m having trouble getting it to work. I’m sorry TvT)


	3. Hunted

After searching through the wreckage, three Jahns clad in red uniforms stood before their superior, a Captain Jahn in green and a standard visor helmet.  
"Update on the Ice Fractal." The Captain said in a bored voice.  
The three red Jahns answered simultaneously, monotone and emotionless, "The Ice Fractal, a model created solely to be used in the transportation of the Vinesnauce clone, also known as 'Vlinny', is in complete disrepair. We discovered in the center of the wreckage some scattered supplies. However, we did not locate the clone, neither alive or dead. No footprints were discovered." Finished with their report, the three went silent again, waiting for their captain's response.  
"Well, he's likely to be _somewhere_ on this planet." He pulled up holographic screen and typed some notes. "For now we will return and report our findings. I have marked the location of the Ice Fractal. We may need some more teams in order to cover the planet more thoroughly." He closed the screen and it disappeared from sight. "My superiors were very clear that they wanted this clone found, even if all that remains is a corpse."  
The Captain turned around and marched back their own ship. The three red Jahns followed behind in single file. Once in the ship, they took off quickly into the sky. I watched until they were too far away to see, then watched a little longer to make sure they weren't coming back yet.  
The landscape of the frozen planet was scattered with odd ice formations, large crystals jutting from the ground in clusters, each ending in extremely sharp points. They almost looked as though the ice had exploded from the ground. They all varied in size. The one I hid in was just big enough so could I fit in between the spikes. I was lucky the wind had started to pick up,, blowing away my footprints.  
With the Jahns finally gone, I slipped out from the spikes. The carry on bag I made fell beside me into the snow with a dull thud. Picking it up I took one last look at the sky,  which had begun to cloud over.  _I wonder if it'll snow._ I looked at my ruined ship. I had grabbed as much as I could for now. Maybe, if things went well, I could somehow find a way to come back and get more...  
Turning away from the wreck, I began to run.  
Not once looking back.  
Not knowing where exactly I was going.  
Not knowing if there even was anywhere to go.  
All my options at that moment seemed like they would all eventually lead to death.  
With any luck, though, maybe this could be the slowest possible death.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I hope you like my story so far ^v^' this chapter is a little shorter, but the next one will be longer)


	4. Magic

     I literally can't fucking see where I'm going.   
     Not long after I left the Ice Fractal, the snow had begun to fall heavier and heavier, and the wind had similarly become stronger and stronger. I blindly tried to make way through the new storm, but I wasn't even sure if I was still heading away from my ship, that I wasn't just going circles.  And the wind-  
     I yelped as my wings suddenly got caught in a strong gust like a pair of sails, and I was hurled backwards several feet, just managing to stick my hands in the snow to stop myself before I was flung too far. I quickly lowered my wings tight against my body so they wouldn't get caught again.  
     I let out an exasperated sigh, "you gotta be kidding me..." I was about to get up and going again I realized-"shit, my bag!" I must've dropped it. Crawling around on all fours, I tried feeling for its familiar fabric. After some time of digging around in the snow, my fingers brushed against felt.  
     "Oh, thank- ow, fuck!" After picking up the bag, I had hastily stood up and immediately hit my head against something hard above me. Groaning, I held my head with one hard and felt above me with the other. The object above me was smooth and slightly angled up away from from me. Oh, it's another ice crystal structure... Judging by how much it was tilted, if I had been a few more yards away I probably wouldn't have even known it was there. I picked up my bag and followed it down to its base where it met the ground and the other spikes. This was much bigger than the one near my ship. Hopefully that meant I had made some actual progress...  
     I attempted to look around me, but the falling snow was still too thick to see through. At least the ice crystals blocked the wind a little bit. I continued to feel around the base,  looking for a gap I could squeeze through.  The gap I eventually did find was actually big enough that I could just walk in, however I needed to remember to keep my head lowered.  
     I sighed in relief as I collapsed onto the ground in the back of the small ice cave. I could barely hear the wind outside anymore. I tried to look in my bag to make sure I hadn't lost anything, but it was too dark to see...  
     Though hesitant, I focused my left hand and with some effort willed a small ice shard to form, emitting a soft blue glow that was just bright enough to see by. I hurriedly looked through my bag, and, finding that nothing was missing, dropped the new shard to the ground, extinguishing its light. I stared for a moment where dropped it, then looked away at one of the walls.  
     The... "cryokinetic" thing had actually started when I was back on the island, and it had freaked me out... a lot. Just like my wings do now.  
     Though that isn't to say the ice thing still doesn't freak me out, just a little... overshadowed.  
     I hadn't told anyone about it. Nobody ever knew. Well... technically I had told one person about it, but she doesn't... so, really no one actually knew.   
     Well, maybe the jahns did. This may have been intentioned. The wings too...  
     But all this didn't start happening until the invasion had failed, and what would even be the point, anyway? How would wings have helped me replace Vine like I was supposed to? It probably would've done the opposite.  
     Did it have something to do with being Vine's clone in of itself? I thought I once saw him make some vines grow out of thin air, but when I looked back it looked as though nothing had happened, like I was imagining things. But then he was also able to erase islanders... wiping them from existence (and making me look crazy when I was one of the only ones to remember them).  
     I buried my face in my hands. But then how the fuck was Vinehsauce able to do that? Nothing seemed to line up. It didn't make any sense. And I refuse-  
     I refuse to believe that this had anything to do with "magic." Magic didn't exist. it was one of the few things the jahns told me that I knew was really true. Magic was make believe, something little kids would blindly believe was true. But it had no root in reality. Everything that happened in reality had a scientific explanation.  
     These wings? Maybe the jahns accidentally gave me some bird DNA, or something.  
     Vine's... plant power? Probably didn't actually happen. Trick of the eye.  
     My ice powers?  
     ...  
     Some logical explanation, I'm sure.  
     The erasings?  
     ...  
     .....  
     I leaned back against the wall. Well, the "how" of what Vine did isn't really important, the "how do I undo it" is what really matters...  
     I rubbed my eyes. "Uhg..." I was tired, both mentally and physically. But I was hesitant to go to sleep. I could handle another nightmare. I mean, I guess I could. But sleepwalking... could prove to be a bit of an issue. Especially if I need to stay hidden... maybe I'll have a hard getting out of here, though? It's still pretty on the narrow side. Maybe if I... I tried to squeeze myself further in. I sighed. I could only really hope for the best, and regardless I really do need to get some sleep, if I'm going to be traveling more tomorrow.  
     Wrapping my wings around me, I regretfully let myself fall into a fitful sleep.


	5. Ascend

     I groaned as bright light suddenly streamed into the cave, and lifted my head to see the moons shining directly into my little cave, but because of the thick storm earlier, I wasn't sure if they were rising or setting. I slowly stood up, still exhausted. I never actually got any sleep, maybe 2 hours, if I'm being optimistic. And it wasn't even a solid two hours. I could barely sleep at all. At any moment the jahns would find me. Every strong gust of wind was their ship landing. Every small sound was them coming closer, while I lay huddled up and prone in a cave. Only one way out. With me at a disadvantage.  
     I was stressed.  
     I was paranoid.  
     I could barely keep my eyes open but I couldn't sleep, either.  
     Also, probably lost.  
     I hazily looked out the cave, then at the sky. Everything seemed clear...  
     I stumbled out with my bag, trying to get a grip on my surroundings. The cluster of ice crystals I had been in was much bigger than the one near my camp, almost two stories high. I could see a mountain range not too far off. I was able to confirm that moons were, in fact, rising. That was good... And I had no idea which direction my ship was. That's not so good. If I was going to try and get as far away from it as I could, then I needed to know where it was so I could keep going in the opposite direction... also I kinda planned to head back to it eventually.  
     Well, I thought to myself, I definitely didn't go over any mountains yesterday... I looked at them with unease, towering and jagged. They were almost completely white like the rest of the landscape, with some flashes of light blue ice. It didn't seem very promising, but I had worse options. Besides, I realized, maybe from up there I can see where the Ice Fractal is...  
     I just had to be careful not be seen by... anyone else.  
     Uncertain and tired as all Hell, I began the trek to mountains, eating stale sugar cookies for breakfast.  
***  
     I already knew from a distance that the mountains were big, but it wasn't until I was standing right in front of them that it really set in.  
     "Oh... oh that's... that's pretty steep..." I had to crane my neck up in order to see the top. There's no way I'm climbing right up this thing. Maybe... maybe there's another way up? A natural path? I began walking along the part where the valley ended and the mountains began, trying to find an easier way up.  
     Eventually I came across a spot that looked at least bearable. It was much more rough, with plenty of hand holds and less steep. It had abit of an incline rather than being completely vertical. It still wasn't ideal, but it was better.  
     "Well! Good enough for me..." I went over and began pulling my exhausted body up the mountain side, hand hold by hand hold, hand hold turned foot hold. And up and up I went. Slowly. This wasn't something one should try doing on so little sleep. This was admittedly a bad idea. But I had to keep going... I had to.  
     This probably could've been easier if I had figured out how my wings worked. I could've flown over the mountain! Imagine being able to do that...  
     When climbing, instead of another hand hold, my hand suddenly came in contact with a larger flat surface.  
     I gasped, "oh thank the stars!" I clambered onto the ledge, glad to finally give my arms and legs a break. I sighed in relief. Looking up, I realized I was just short of halfway up the mountain. The double moon's were beginning to dip under the horizon, sending the icy world into further darkness. I hesitated. If I try sleeping on this ledge, I will, without fail, fall off this fucking mountain. And die, and the jahns will have won without having to do anything. I looked up the mountain again. As tired as I was, I decided my best bet was to at least get to the top. Forming a glowing blue ice crystal to help me see better, I put it in my mouth to hold as I began to climb again.  
     The higher I got, the darker it became. I made the crystal glow brighter, and continued to ascend. After some time, the moons had completely set, and I climbed by the light of the stars and crystal alone. I nearly slipped, and I let out a shout as the rock I tried to step on fell away, and watched it as it tumbled down the mountain. It caused a chain reaction, taking bigger and bigger rocks with until they all crashed at the bottom. I flinched, the sound was so loud I could hear it from all the way up here. Oh boy, sure hope no one else was around to hear that! Give away your position, why don't you! I groaned and continued to climb. I had to be more careful, the smallest mistake could be catastrophic. I was exhausted, but if could climb a little further... then just a bit further after that... then a little more...  
     I laughed, relieved as the ground finally began level out more, and suddenly I was able to stand up. I half ran, half stumbled up the rest of the way to the very top, where it came to a jagged point. I leaned against it and cheered.  
     "Woo! Haha, finally!" My cold tears froze onto my face, and quickly wiped them off. "Finally, finally..."  
     But my good fortune immediately ended when I heard the sound of Jahn ship engines coming closer. I saw the ship in the distance and almost screamed, but instead covered my mouth to hold it in, then, panicking, dove into the nearest snowbank. I held completely still as the ship approached, and it was so loud I thought my eardrums would explode. I could barely hear my own frantic thoughts: please tell me they didn't see me, please don't see, go away! Go away! GO AWAY! You didn't see me! There's nothing here! Go away! I held my hands over my ears to block out the noise, but it useless. A strong wind came from the ship as it passed over me, had my wings been open I would've been blown off the mountain. It was... so... close. My face was buried in the snow, but I could feel it was only a few yards above me.  
     The ship left as soon as it came, but a ringing was left in my ears. I was breathing heavily, and was frozen still in fear. I refused to move, and instead remained perfectly still in the snowbank, only one thought in my mind: please don't come back. Please tell me you didn't see me. please don't come back...


	6. Descend

I wasn't entirely sure how long I laid there before I finally calmed down enough to lift my head up out of the snow bank. I hesitated for a moment, glancing in the general direction where the jahns had disappeared once more. I let out a relieved sigh, okay... they're gone... for now. I sat up and waited for the ringing in my ears to subside. When it finally did, the entire world became silent again, except for the occasional gusts of wind. I stood up fully, and went back over to the mountain peak, leaning against it once more.  
"As I were..." I said shakily. I quickly looked around, using the high vantage point to try and see if the Ice Fractal was still nearby. After a while, I saw a small black speck in the distance, but it was both too dark and far away to properly make out. That could be it... I sighed and turned my attention to what lay on the other side of the mountain. More mountains. Rocky and steep. I groaned. I looked up the sky, thinking for a moment. Going over those could take days... days I didn't really have, seeing as how I now had a limited food supply, and I needed to make sure I could actually get back to my ship to get more... I'm doomed, I'm fucking screwed.  
     I began to pace back and forth next to the peak, trying to find a way out of this hole I was in. Well, mountain. What happened with the jahns a second ago was far too close, I'm surprised things hadn't ended for me right then and there. It would probably be safer to stay on low ground, so the jahns would be less likely to see me... so I had to get off this mountain peak. Okay. I looked down the mountain side. It was even worse than what I had climbed up before. But then, looking over to the side I just barely noticed some mountain passes, still a little rough looking, but much more bearable. If there were more, then maybe I could go up and down through the mountains. Running across flat land would be quicker, put more distance between me and where the jahns would probably focus most if their attention on, but I would also be more more easy to spot. Within the valleys, passes, and caves if the mountains, maybe I could last for longer despite not going farther.  
     I nodded. It was worth a shot. I looked up at the sky again. The moons were completely gone, and the world became very dark despite the reflective snow and ice. The stars are beautiful tonight though...  
     I looked down the mountainside again. I sat down and began carefully sliding down to the valley below.


	7. The Stars

I had been traveling through the mountains for a few days, mostly staying in the small valleys and going through the passes. I would only only occasionally see jahn ship zipping by, and would try my best to ensure I stayed hidden. But I was lost again. I would fall asleep in one place then wake up in a completely different one thanks to my sleep walking, and these mountains weren't necessarily easy to navigate in the first place. I still had quite a bit of food left for now, but I decided to start rationing it more. I wasn't sure when I'd get a chance to revisit my ship. I wasn't even sure where I wanted to go. My original plan was to find a new permanent camp, then move all my stuff there. Among the mountains seemed like it could work, but I wanted to keep going a little further. And I had a sinking feeling that I wouldn't be able to get back to the Ice Fractal. So I just kept moving forward. Up and down the mountains, through the valleys.  
This almost feels... familiar... walking through the snowy tundra, climbing up the mountains, the complete loneliness, and solitude... reminded me of a place I haven't been to in a long time.  
The jahn's home planet was tidally locked to its red star like the earth's moon to its planet, so it was always light on the one same side, and dark on the other. The lighted side was too scorching hot for life to exist, meanwhile the darkened side was too bitterly cold, only I, as far as I know, could survive there without a suit. There was no liquid water, an essential for life, on either side. However, in the place where these two halves met, it was just the right temperature, just the right climate for liquid water. And it was here that life came to be, in a thin ring of land around the planet.  
And that life, unfortunately, eventually led to the jahns.  
     It was where I was... created.  
     The lab I was made in was closer to the darker half of the planet, where it was cooler. On both sides of the strip, the deadly landscapes were blocked off with a metal chain link fence. Other than being much more sturdy than the ones on earth, there was not much to them. No electricity ran through it. No barbed wire went along the top. This was because not a single jahn, even the ones who broke from the hive mind, would ever want to go over to what laid on the other side of each fence. Unlivable conditions and certain death.  
     This had made things very easy for me.   
     Everyday, hours and hours of learning how to act like Vinehsauce, how to pretend to like what he likes, how to pretend to be him. After hours of walking among so many people who were really just one person. Who couldn't feel, and couldn't understand that I did. There were only a few things I looked forward to everyday.   
     One of those things was when after these lessons I had been given ended, I had some... free time. I think the jahns assumed I would've used this time to practice being the original more. But I couldn't stand to do that any more than I had to.   
But then I didn't really know what else to do. I wandered the streets aimlessly amongst the jahns, who had marched on single file with a hive minded purpose. During my earlier weeks I would try to get them to play with me, running around them, tossing stuff to them to try and play catch. But it was never to any avail. I was bored and lonely. I didn't know what my own interests were. The jahns didn't have a concept of fun (or comfort). Whenever I strayed too far from the lab a random group of jahns would take me and bring me all the way back. It was all... frustrating.   
One day when walking I decided not to go in the direction of the "city" and instead headed towards the edge. Jahns rarely had things to do at the edge, and so seeing a jahn there was uncommon. I had never gone that way before because I liked to have company, but I was beginning to realize the jahns didn't really count. And I wanted a change of pace for once.   
I gazed at the pink sky as I went, then looked around at the storage buildings around me. I slowed down and peeked in one of the windows. It was dark, but I could just make out some items, but just from their silhouettes I could tell they weren't the usual bland looking things the jahns would make. I'll check them out later, if I can get in. I want to see what's at the edge before I run out of time...   
The closer I got to the edge, the cooler and more comfortable it became. I picked up my pace, excited to finally see it.  
I turned one last corner and suddenly the buildings stopped. A small clearing the width of an earth road was in front of me, and then there it was. The fence that divided the livable and unlivable climates. I jogged over to it. I laced my fingers in the fence and pressed my face up against it to get a closer look. The landscape was rocky and icy, mostly consisting of the colors grey, blue, and white, but mostly grey. I could see the pink fade into a very dark almost black red in the sky. That was bizarre to see. The the strip of livable land was always in an early afternoon type of light, never changing. I decided I liked the change. I hesitated for a moment, checking my watch that the jahns had given me a few weeks ago. I had plenty of time. I began to climb up the fence. It was actually easier to climb than I thought it would be. I made my way to the top quickly, then climbed halfway down the other side before deciding to drop down the rest of the way. I landed firmly on my feet, then looked back at the buildings, suddenly a bit nervous. I'm probably not supposed to do this, I could get in trouble... but then I laughed. Doing something I wasn't supposed to was unexpectedly a wonderful feeling. I turned back to the new landscape and ran into it.  
***  
The ground was very rough in some places but very smooth in others. I mock ice skated on a frozen "pond" of ice, then scrambled over the small rocky hills. I was actually having fun. On the top of one hill, I craned my neck up to the sky, expecting to see a solid dark red color, but what I saw instead made me star struck. Literally. It was the first time I had ever seen the stars, and I was amazed. They were beautiful. There was so many of them. I wanted to go up into the sky and take them in my hands, be enveloped by them, become lost in the million distant suns. And I did become lost in them abit, because suddenly the alarm went off on my watch, and I had to tear myself away from their elegance to sprint back to the bland buildings of the city, and back to the lab where I was reprimanded for being late. But everyday afterward I started to go into to the frozen wasteland. Every now and then the landscape would change because it would literally rain rocks that came from the molten side of the planet, and I would have a whole new world to discover. That, and a few other things, made life so much more bearable.   
     Now I walked through a snowy tundra, a new sky above me. And now instead of "raising" me the jahns we're now trying to kill me. Oh how things... escalated. Definitely.  
     I walked through the snow until I came to the base of the next mountain, paused for a moment, then sat down with a sigh. I craned my neck up to look at the stars. I looked at my bag, then dug out some black paper, a white colored pencil, a ruler, and a protractor. They took up space, but I just felt like I had to bring something with me to pass time. Not that I had much of that. I sighed again, then looked up. I decided to focus the brighter, more obvious stars first, then work my way down. The last few days have been crazy, and I just wanted a second to calm down, to do something I liked. I didn't like being under too much pressure... even if he claimed I worked well under it...  
     Trying to push that thought aside, I focused on my new task, and mused about whether I could maybe make up my own constellations...


	8. A Fragment of the Fractal

I looked over my rough charts, then back up at the sky, then the charts, then the sky. I think I might be a little off... well, it's just a rough draft, and I didn't pick the best vantage point... I should start moving again, though. I stood up, carefully rolling up my charts, and placed them in my bag. I began to go up again. This mountain was much less steep, I could walk up it fairly easily.  
I made it up to a peak again, but now it was much less jagged. I took a quick look around the sky and mountains for jahns. None in sight. But that could change quickly... the stars were much clearer up here, I would've done the star charts here if... yeah. I sighed, and began to go down the other side. Thoughts raced through my mind. What was I going to do when I got to the other side of this range? What was I going to do if these mountains just kept going. My bag got lighter each day. And my supply was all the way in the other side... did I really pack as much as I could? Or in my rush did I underprepare? What am I going to do if the jahns find me? I keep telling myself I have a plan but-  
With each thought I started to walk faster and faster down the mountain. I could pretend to be calm, but the truth was there. I was doomed. I blasted out of earth's atmosphere on a self assigned suicide mission, I got shot down and crashed on another planet, and I just ran away from my supply to get away from a hive minded alien race out to kill their own creation-  
I yelled as my foot suddenly caught on something, causing me fall forward onto my face, then rolled down the mountain several yards before landing in the valley, which I had almost reached by walking a moment before. A puff of powdery white snow went up when I crashed, and it covered me in glitter. I groaned and slowly went up into a sitting position. I had luckily managed to keep hold of my bag this time. I need to be more careful, holy shit... I looked up to wear I tripped, wondering what it was, then froze. The moonlight glinted off of a piece of metal lodged in the snow. It was very clearly... of jahn make.   
Holding my bag close to my chest, I carefully began to climb back up towards it. Upon closer inspection, I realized it had actually come from... my ship? The Ice Fractal? Oh right, when I was crashing some parts must've come off while I was still in the air and landed else where... and seeing as how when packing for the trip I stuffed food pretty much anywhere, I wonder... I dropped my bag next to me then kneeled down, and I began to frantically to try and dig more of the ship out of the snow. After some time, I managed to reveal a medium compartment. The rest of the ship was so distorted and smashed up that I actually wasn't sure which part of the ship this piece came from. I struggled to pry the compartment open. It had clearly bent when it landed, practically sealing it shut. I let out a sigh and tried to think of a plan to get it open.  
I stood up, and looked around the area for something that could help. I looked at the wrecked piece again and noticed that there were some broken off shards of metal sticking out next to it. I carefully pulled out piece slightly bigger than hand, then jammed it in between the compartment door and the box part. It went in fairly easily. I tried to use the shard as a lever, with no visible results at first. I was about to give up on it and try something else, when, with one final push, the door suddenly popped open. I laughed, and tossed the shard over to the side.  
I opened the door, and peered inside. I couldn't tell what I was looking at at first. Something... dark colored. I reached in and felt something almost smooth and very flat. I felt a handle. Is this... grabbing it, I managed to pull it out with a few tugs. The moonlight revealed what it was instantly. I noticed some bags and tubes of food below it, but my attention had been completely taken up.  
It was an old leather case. Roughed up but not visibly damaged much more than that. It's weight was somehow still so familiar in my hands. I had gotten it, er, stolen it, so long ago...  
My first violin.


	9. Something of Interest

     I awkwardly kept pace behind the jahn in front of me. He wore a yellow uniform, and kept a brisk pace as we headed to the storage buildings near the edge.  
     When I went back to the storage building I saw later, I had, unsurprisingly, found it locked. Even though I kinda expected that, it still disappointed me. I could tell just by looking through the window into the dark room that it was filled with things out of this world. That is to say, out of the jahn world. Which is also to say that whatever was in there was actually interesting! But I couldn't go in. The storage was mostly neglected, but nothing I tried doing to get in seemed to work. Disappointing.  
     But then, one day, I noticed one of the blue clad scientist jahns that made me speaking to another jahn, in yellow. The one I walked behind now. It wasn't easy trying to convince the blue jahn to let me go, but I can be very persistent and... "annoying", and I was able to go with yellow to the storage.   
     The yellow jahn was meant to go into a whole row of storage buildings and check how much was being stored. The amount rarely changed, but was routine and mandatory. I don't know. Maybe there was a point in time in which people were either stupid or brave enough to try and steal from the jahns. Or sneaky enough. Something like that wouldn't be easy though. If one jahn saw, all the jahns in that vicinity saw you. That was one of the "many perks" of being hive minded. I guess what confused me was... the jahns didn't really care about what they put in storage. They only cared about what they needed, and whatever they put in storage was generally stuff they didn't need anymore. So why bother making sure they still have it?  
     Well, it's good for me... I want to see what's inside that building... The jahn stopped in front of one of the buildings. It wasn't the one I wanted, but it was in the same row.   
     He briefly turned towards me, and said briskly in his monotone voice, and speaking in jahnish, "[we request that you do not touch anything.]"  
     I held up my hands in mock innocence, "[I promise I won't touch anything!]" Well, maybe not in this building, but...  
     He nodded once. "[good.]" He turned back to the door, and a panel opened. He placed his hand on the scanner, after which the door promptly opened.  
     Oh. Great. THAT'S how you open it. Guess I'm really going to have to make this trip count, I'm not sure if I'll get another chance...  
***  
     Building after building we went. All were full of old Jahn technology kept in neat rows. Some pieces were a little interesting. Like some older ship models, and used up lasers. The jahns were never really ones to have taste, per say, or flair, and each interesting device suddenly blended into the rest. Everything was the same. Everything was undecorated and dull gray. Not even shiny... I walked behind the yellow Jahn rather bored, to say the least.   
      Being raised among the jahns, I actually never really... understood what I wanted when I looked at the jahns dull world and felt distaste. I wanted... something different? But nothing was different. Everything was the same.  
      Except me.  
      But then I learned about my "purpose," and I learned that I, rather than the only different thing on this world, I was the copy of someone on a world where everything was different.  
      How ironic.  
      And frustrating.  
      I wanted to be unique. I wasn't.  
      I thought I was unique. But I lived in a literal different day same shit world.  
      And when I tried to make something interesting happened, it would either fail or I would get scolded.  
      At least there were my combat lessons...  
      And sure, there were the uninhabitable parts, but... I didn't really consider them part of the Jahn's world. The frozen over part was my own. Unfortunately my time there was limited...  
      I was starting to grow frustrated as we entered yet another building full of discontinued ships. I am begging you, can we please go to the other world building? I continued to follow behind him silently. While walking by one ship, I noticed something etched into the side of one. Wait that's weird... oooh, it's weird! I slowed down abit so as to get a better look. I wasn't very good at the language yet, but i could tell it was English. I was disappointed when I realized I couldn't read it. I didn't know the words yet. I decided that I would somehow get back to see later...  
     I was quiet up until now, but now I piped up, "[umm, pardon. I was curious as to which storage building we are now occupying?"  
     Yellow turned back to look at me for a moment, then turned around and continued walking. He stated simply, "[we are currently occupying Storage Unit number 26079525034.]"  
      Oh great. I'll definitely remember that. I sighed, then continued to follow. I noticed some extremely old models that stood out from the rest. The ships were still blank, but I preferred these ones to the new. White shining metal. It was a metal only found on the Jahn planet and those surrounding. Once a commonly used metal for the jahns, it was strong, almost flexible. It was far from brittle, and rarely dented. However, it was rare. And other metals the jahns found on conquered planets were even better.   
      I felt a little giddy when I remembered the suit that one purple Jahn was assigned to make me. Apparently the metal was also somehow better for keeping things cool. Perfect for a suit that had to serve as a wearable freezer (among other things). So far I had only been able to try on one arm, to see how it was coming along and how well it functioned. I loved it. It was shiny, and the green light strips filled with a cooling fluid to help maintain a cold temperature were amazing to look at. I wished I could see the construction of it, or at least talk to the purple Jahn more. Purple was one of those... rare jahns. Jahns that aren't supposed to exist, who felt emotion and liked things. He was actually kind of fun to talk to. I was surprised to learn how much he apparently liked humans. He was excited that, along with making my suit, that he would be in the first small group to come to the planet and the small island the jahns had put their focus on.   
     For his sake I pretended to be excited about the earth part too.  
     Don't get me wrong, I was happy to finally be rid of the Jahn planet for at least awhile, go somewhere where everything was different, but...  
      Lost in thought I almost rammed into yellow, who had stopped in front of the door to leave and head to the next. I stumbled back a little bit to leave some space, but yellow didn't seem to either notice or care. I stepped out with him. And my spirits lifted when I realized which one we were going in next. It wasn't hard to tell: I could see the odd objects leaning against a window.  
     We headed into the building. Finally... I paused when we entered, surprised to find that, unlike the other buildings which were already lit, this one's lights were off. The yellow Jahn was unperturbed, and simply reached over and turned on the lights before continuing. Then paused. I could see why. It was an unorganized mess. The wonderful objects looked like they were just thrown in, more cluttered at the door, and spread out a bit further in. The Jahn looked this way and that, trying to figure out where to get started. I wouldn't have bee able to make this comparison back then, but looking back, I could say he looked abit like a glitched npc. This was probably the closest most jahns could get to confusion. I had to stifle a laugh. I walked over to a pile, and kneeled down to get a closer look at some of the objects. I saw plastic cylinders with string winded around them, and cubes made of smaller colored cubes. There were books in English, and rubber balls of varying sizes.  
     "[Facsinating...]" I whispered to myself. I don't know what these are, but they're... something of interest.  
     "[I... I should contact my superiors. This building is completely out of order and against the guidelines. How this has been overlooked, I don't know.]" He got out his phone and turned around. Seeing me kneeling over the pile, he stated,"[remember, you are not to touch anything.]"  
     "[I'm not...]" I will.  
     "[Because of service issues within these buildings so far from the cellular towers, I must step outside for a moment to contact my captain. Please stay within the building, and do not touch anything.]" He walked swiftly to the door, went outside, then closed the door behind him.  
     I could not believe my luck.  
     I immediately went to take something from the pile in front of me. I picked up the cylinder, no, spool of string, first. The string was thicker than thread, but still not all that substantial, and it has a loop tied at the end. The spool itself was a clear red plastic, with a faded logo in English on one side. I stood up to try and figure out what it did. Experimentally, I tried putting my finger in the loop, then dropped the spool part. It unraveled and stopped just short of hitting the ground. I swung it abit, and watched it go back and forth for a moment. I shook it up and down. I... I don't get it... I sighed and set it back down, then picked up the cube next. I examined it, then while turning it I discovered it it had a spinning mechanism. I messed around with it abit, rearranging the colors. This could be a puzzle. Perhaps you're able to get all the same colors on one side? I put it in my pants pocket to try later, then started looking in other piles.  
     I tried to go quickly as I picked up other small trinkets. A sparkly rubber sphere that bounced. A pen that had many different colors in sliders. A small metallic square device with buttons that was attached to a wire and some earthen ear buds. I mostly focused on small items, as they were the only things I could bring back with me discreetly. I did look at larger objects, of course. How couldn't I? I flipped through the pages of a book, only occasionally understanding words. I found a man powered vehicle with two wheels and a small seat. It reminded me of an oversimplified motorcycle, the basics of which I was taught. I found other wheeled things, like wheeled shoes and wheeled boards. I found odd hollow things made of metal. I found a guitar, and cringed. Vinehsauce played guitar. The jahns made me learn how to play it and practice it everyday so I could better pretend to be him. I hated the guitar. I sped past it to look at what else I could find. I'm probably running out of time, that phone call won't last forever...  
       I started to look more quickly, trying to find more I could bring back. A mini red laser that seemed to do no damage that was combined with a flashlight. A small eraser that looked like a saucer space ship. A miniature plastic maze with the tiniest metal ball I had ever seen. When looking around I noticed a medium sized leather case atop one pile. I paused, then went over to it. Well well well, what's in here? This is probably going to be the last thing I look at... I examined the case, then undid its metal latches, slowly opening its lid. Inside I discovered a wooden... thing? With strings? Is this supposed to be a tiny guitar?... it doesn't really seem like a guitar, it comes with a thin wood thing... I carefully removed both from their velvet interior. And noticed a booklet below them. Taking it out and flipping through, I realized it was some kind manual with pictures. I knew I didn't have much time, but I wanted to know what this thing was. I set the booklet down to one page, and tried holding it like the person in the drawings. After some adjusting, I think I finally got it, then just tried running the white threadlike part of the smaller wooden piece across the strings. It made an almost pleasant but odd noise. I tried a few more times, some sounds were squeaky, but others sounded soothing, and the noise depended on which strings I ran it across, and how I held the strings near the top. I quickly began to love this weird instrument. I got caught up in it, and almost didn't hear the Jahn re-entering. I almost dropped the instrument, but instead quickly placed it and the manual back into the case, then, panicking, hid the case behind my back rather than just put it back in the pile. The Jahn turned towards me.  
     "[My captain has told us to move on to the next building, and that this one will be inspected later.]" He motioned towards the door on the other side of the building.  
     "Uhh, [actually, if I may, can I return to the lab now? You don't need to bring me back yourself, I remember the way.]"  
     He blinked once before answering. "[Alright. Please return quickly while I continue to work.]" He went out the door, then I quickly booked it to the other door, new instrument in my arms. Outside, I was hurrying along, then slowed down when I realized... I can't just bring this thing into the lab, they'll see it and stop me right at the door... but then where do I put it? I looked around at the buildings that surrounded me, thinking. Could I put it on the icy side of the planet? No, it'll get smashed by the rock rains... near the storage buildings? No, what if it gets thrown back in one... wait... Could I sneak it into the lab?... might be risky, but... I could try... and hate myself if I fail...  
     Keeping the instrument behind my back, I nervously went back into the city. Jahns were marching to and fro, everywhere. I tried to keep my breathing steady as I side stepped toward the door to the lab I was made in. I opened the door slowly, and saw the a team of jahns in blue uniform having a discussion. This was the team that made me. Trying to go unnoticed, I crept along the back wall that towards the hallway that lead to my room.  
      "[Look, I'm just saying, if he finds out, if anyone finds out, really...]"  
      "[No one is going to find out...]"   
      "[How can you be so sure?]"  
      "[... because... it's been weeks and no one's the wiser...]"  
      "[I feel a clock ticking...]"  
      "[Oh please.]"  
      "[Who even was he? We found him in that ice, with the old clothing and that weird stone eye necklace....]"  
      I wasn't really paying attention to what they were saying. They're voices turned to white noise as I got to the hallway and snuck down it, having crouch low to avoid bumping my head on the low ceiling. Finally getting to my room, I was able to stand fully. I decided to keep the instrument under my dresser for now.  
      Every day I started to mess around with the odd instrument, which I discovered was called a "violin." I had even decided to sneak it onto the Ice Fractal when I left for Earth.

      Then I had to leave the poor thing on the ship. Since I crashed into the ocean, and I didn't want to risk it getting wet. I got a new one when I got on land, of course.

     But now the old one was... here. I was nervous about opening it. I didn't want to see it be damaged or anything. From either crash. I hesitated, hands hovering over the old metal clasps. I drew back, then, holding it under one arm, I turned my attention back to the rest of the container.


	10. One Handhold at a Time

      Another weeks worth of food in my bag and violin in hand, I continued on my way, ascending another mountain. My wings prevented me from slinging the violin onto my back, unfortunate since it made climbing harder. I wish I could've just flown over these mountains, but I wasn't good enough at flying yet. And not much time to practice. I had decided I would finally practice more once I found somewhere permanent...  
     If that existed.  
     And if it didn't then I guess I could try practicing after I confirmed there was no where to go...  
     Exhausted, I sat down on a leveled part of the mountain. Looking up, it wasn't promising. It wasn't bad at first, but it got really steep further up. The moons setting, I decided it would be a problem for tomorrow. I sighed, and set my stuff down. The moons went behind the mountain and the cold valley was cloaked in darkness. The snow ever so slightly glistened under the far away star.  
I sighed, and looked over at the violin case, it's dark leather stood out against the white snow. Inside I knew not only laid a potentially broken violin, but my very first attempts at writing music. Knowing how awful they must be was yet another deterrent for me to open it. I flinched when I remembered what happened to the work I was actually proud of.  
My heart still hurts a little when I remember looking up to see all my music sheets and lyrics blow away in the planet's frozen wind to who knows where. More than one of those sheets were love songs, actually. For.... Dheerse.  
Oh god I hope the jahns don't find those...  
I wrapped my wings around myself as I sat there. My feathers were actually quite soft, I never really noticed... I looked up and realized the stars were starting to be covered by thick clouds. oh shit, another storm might be coming... I stood back up and glanced around me, wondering if I should try and find some sort of cover...  
Seeing no ledges or coverings near by, I sat back down, a puff of snow dusting me and covering me in glitter.  
"Shit... I'll be fine..." I wasn't worried about the cold, not that it got much colder here during a storm. The wind though... and potentially being buried... and losing my few belongings and food...  
I stood back up quickly, and began to head up once again. Maybe there's some cover on the other side... As tired as I was, I chose forge onward.  
***  
I wonder what the chances are of me passing out and falling down the mountain right now...   
My muscles ached after days of endless climbing and falling, and this steep slope made me want to scream. But if I screamed then the jahns might hear me. The storm clouds thickened above, taking away the little natural light I had left. I paused on the slope, and tried to form another glowing ice crystal, but I was so exhausted only small icy sparks flickered into existence. I groaned, the attempt only making me more tired. I turned my attention back to the mountain, but it was so dark I couldn't see the top. I felt thick heavy snowflakes start to fall on me.  
Uhg!! I should've just stayed down there! What was I thinking, I'm not going to be able to get to the other side tonight!  
Nonetheless, I began to climb again. I didn't really have another choice now.  
Earlier I had managed to unhook the violin case strap and awkwardly put it around myself and rehooked it. The case laid between my wings. It felt very... uncomfortable. But it worked. And I also tied my food bag to it.  
It was important that I did, so my hands could be free while I climbed.  
While I climbed blindly. While the wind picked up, and I had to fold up my wings just to stop myself from blowing away. Hand over hand. One foot up the mountain at a time. So... tired. Trying not to literally fall asleep... the snowflakes and wind buffeted me, and I almost lost my grip more than once. My head spun. I heard a noise. Was it a jahn? Was it an avalanche? Was the world falling apart? My muscles were about to give out but I had to keep going. A desperate need to not die while living was still an option. I'm climbing up a wall and I let go I fall and die. A falling angel who doesn't know how to his wings. Angel? No, I'm no angel. One hand at a time. Dheerse called me her angel before... don't slip up, don't fall, don't die. The jahns must be watching me. The ones with emotions are silently laughing. Where is the top? There is no top, I'm in a void where there's nothing but this ice cold wall and the snow. One handhold at a time. Hand over hand. Foot over foot. I want to see the stars again. I want to see my brother Schnoz again. I want... I want to see Dheerse again. Tears flowed down and froze onto my face. Hand... over... hand... one... hand..... hold at.. a time....... what was the point?? There is no top! I'm doomed! I've doomed myself! I'm never gonna-  
I yelped as I suddenly fell forward onto my face. I scrambled up onto the flat surface then just laid there.  
...  
......  
............  
My voice was muffled, "oh hey... I made it... weee..."  
I then proceeded to pass out cold.


End file.
